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The Welsh Revival of 1904-1905

Evan Roberts 1878-1951 - An Overview of the Welsh Revival of 1904/1905
The REVIVAL of 1904-1905 resulted in over 150,000 people converted and added to churches and chapels in Wales. Lives were TRANSFORMED! Lifestyles were CHANGED! Homes and families were HEALED! Churches were packed and on FIRE with fervour and zeal!

All this happened when young people began to experience the reality of God’s divine power, and teams of young people, such as the one led by the most noted of the revivalist, EVAN ROBERTS and his revival party, travelled the country revolutionising the churches.

100 YEARS LATER ... COULD IT HAPPEN AGAIN?

Here is love, vast as the ocean, loving kindness as the flood,

When the Prince of Life my ransom shed for me His precious blood,

Who His love will not remember, who can cease to sing His praise?

He shall never be forgotten through Heaven's everlasting days.

On the mount of crucifixion fountains opened deep and wide

Through the floodgates of God's mercy flowed the vast and gracious tide,

Grace and love like mighty rivers poured incessant from above

Heaven's peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love.

INTRODUCTION

Just after eleven o'clock on a Wednesday evening a hundred years ago, a solo voice rang out with the beautiful Welsh hymn "Here Is Love Vast As The Ocean". Maybe a thousand people were in the Chapel at the time, leaning over the galleries, packing every pew and squeezing into every spare corner. They'd been here for more than four hours, in a service of intense emotion.

Meetings like it were taking place across Wales night after night, with fervent prayer and passionate singing - and similar disregard for the clock. They both excited and appalled, left many puzzled and some frightened, but it was reckoned that in less than a year, over a hundred and fifty thousand people had made a new commitment to Jesus Christ.

Whole communities changed, as men and women found themselves drawn into a powerful experience of God; and sparks from their awakening were soon to ignite fires in more than a dozen other countries.

And the hymn that soloist struck up spontaneously, about "love vast as the ocean", was heard so often that it became known as "the love song of the revival".

1. THE BACKGROUND TO THE REVIVAL

Previous Revivals

Alongside and mixed with the political and cultural history of Wales is a stream of Christian history and spiritual revival, traceable to the first century and continuing to the present day. Wales has its own unique spiritual heroes, Saint David and the Celtic Church - William Morgan with his translation of the Scriptures into the Welsh language - Howell Harris, Daniel Rowlands and the hymn-writer, William Williams, who became the leaders of the Great Awakening in Wales.

The conversion of Howell Harris in 1735 marked the commencement of the mighty Revival, which was to have an ongoing impact during the remainder of the 18th century. There were effective missions, revivals and thriving chapels in Wales, throughout the 19th Century, with such leaders as Christmas Evans the one eyed preacher of Anglesey, John Elias, Thomas Charles and hundreds more, culminating in the Welsh Revival of 1859. Led principallyby the revivalist David Morgan, it was estimated that over 100,000 converts were added to the churches during that Revival. All these

and other heroes, under God, had such impact, that by the end of the 19th century Wales had become known as "The Land of Revival - The Land of Song". Of course, each Revival had its own special emphasis, distinctives and hymns that seemed to sum up the experience of the move of God in the life of the nation.

Yet, towards the latter 19th century a spiritual decline had begun to set in. So with the dawn of the 20th century, it was time for another Revival! By the year 1900, an evangelistic outreach known as the "Forward Movement" had planted 30 new churches, primarily in South Wales, with an overall attendance of close to 2,000, mostly new converts. Also, the first "Keswick in Wales" Conventions in Llandrindod in 1903 and 1904 were preparing hearts for Revival!

Parallel Revivals

We should bear in mind the fact that whilst God has, at times, seen fit to bless Wales with special outpourings of His Holy Spirit, this has often been in conjunction with similar movements in other places. For instance, the Revival in Wales, which started in 1735, was part of the Awakening also known as the "Methodist Revival", which was flourishing in England under the ministries of George Whitfield and John and Charles Wesley. The Revival also impacted Scotland, Ireland and North America.

The particular influence of the Welsh Revivalist, Howell Harris cannot be underestimated. He was a great unifier, and there is no doubt that he played a vital part in maintaining the link between the Revival in Wales and England, and links between the leaders themselves. A close personal friend of George Whitfield, Harris helped to heal the breach between Whitfield and John Wesley.

Coleg Trefecca in Mid Wales, founded by Howell Harris, also had a very significant role to play, because, with the funding of Lady Huntingdon, Trefecca became a Bible College for ministers involved in the Revival in England and Wales.

Howell Harris also undoubtedly played a major role in bringing the impact of what was known as the "Methodist Revival" to the other non-conformist churches in Wales.

As in 1859, when Revival occurred simultaneously in Wales, the North East of England, Northern Ireland and elsewhere, the Welsh Revival of 1904 was, in fact, part of a global outpouring of God's Holy Spirit!

Pentecostal Revival

The Welsh Revival of 1904 is generally considered as something quite distinct from other spiritual movements that developed before or after it. In fact, that is not the case, as we shall see.

The emphasis of the Revival was without doubt the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit, and, as we shall discover, it was not a phenomenon which happened and died out, but it has to be seen in the light of the Pentecostal Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early 20th century.

2. THE BEGINNINGS OF THE REVIVAL

On December 31st 1903 and January 1st 1904, Joseph Jenkins a minister in New Quay Cardiganshire, who was undoubtedly a key man in the Revival, held a "Deeper Spiritual Life Convention". Joseph had been seeking an enduement of power, and shared the testimony of his experience of the Holy Spirit engulfing him as a flame of fire. This was to impact his Church.

On February 14th, in a Sunday service at his Chapel, a young woman named Florrie Evans stood to her feet and publicly confessed "I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart". As she spoke these words the Holy Spirit seemed to fall on the meeting. Many say this was the real

beginning of the Revival. A move of God took place in that Church, as after-church meetings were held to seek the Lord's presence and empowerment, and God began baptising - initially young people,

mainly girls and women in their teens and early twenties - with the Holy Spirit, and the fire quickly spread to other young people in the Cardiganshire area.

In September of the same year, Forward Movement Evangelist Seth Joshua was addressing a Convention which included these Spirit-filled young people, at Blaenanerch, just 5 miles north of Cardigan. Seth himself had been praying for years that God would raise up a young man from the coal pits to revive the churches - little did he know that on Thursday September 29th 1904 his prayer was to be answered in a life changing experience for one 26 year old student, Evan Roberts.

Evan Roberts

During the spring of 1904 a young Welshman named Evan Roberts was repeatedly awakened at 1:00 a.m. He met with God in prayer until 5:00 a.m.

Evan Roberts was born in 1878, in Loughor near Swansea, and left school at 11 to go and work down in the coalmine with his father until his early 20's, when he became a blacksmith's apprentice with his uncle in nearby Pontarddulais.

Evan had a thirst for spiritual things from an early age. The story is often told of how he would take his Bible down the mine to read it during rest periods. One day there was an explosion that took the lives of five of his fellow workers. He narrowly escaped death, but the flames scorched the pages of the Bible he was reading. Later, when the revival came, pictures of Evan Roberts' scorched Bible were sent around the world - epitomizing the fire that had fallen on Wales.

For years, Evan had been a faithful member of Moriah Calvinistic Methodist Chapel at Loughor. Having been converted as a young teenager, he was a Sunday School Superintendent, a conscientious reader of the main theological works of his day, and more than that, he had been praying for revival for over 11 years, and he continued

to pray regularly that God would again visit Wales, in Revival Power. Determined to do his part, he felt compelled to go into the Calvinistic Methodist Ministry, and on September 13th 1904, he became a pupil of the Newcastle Emlyn Grammar School to prepare for Trefecca Theological College.

It was only two and a half weeks after arriving that he found himself at Blaenanerch - and at a crossroads in his spiritual experience. He received a mighty Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which would lead him back to the young people of his own church Moriah, Loughor. On his return to Loughor, he went to the prayer meeting, and asked those who were seeking for a deeper spiritual life to stay behind. He shared with those who stayed what God was doing in New Quay, and what had happened to him. Prophesying that Revival would break out in two weeks, he gave them keys for receiving the Holy Spirit:-

(1) Confess all known sin to God, receiving forgiveness through Jesus Christ.

(2) Remove anything from your life that you

are in doubt or feel unsure about.

(3) Be totally yielded and obedient to the

Holy Spirit.

(4) Publicly confess the Lord Jesus Christ.

Slowly and quietly, Evan spoke of the deep things of God and Christ, the hours passing quite unobserved, while tears coursed uninterruptedly over the cheeks of his listeners. People passing by the church commented freely and wonderingly upon the unusual spectacle of lights burning in full blaze at such an hour.

Inside the building strange things were happening. Young men and women who had never been known to speak openly of any experience of saving grace stood and testified fearlessly. Others were bowed in prayer. Some sang the hymns of Zion. Tears, sobs, and songs of praise were intermingled, continuing until near midnight. Planning to meet the following evening, the happy throng dispersed in all

directions. The next day the event was the talk of the village, and that evening, the chapel was packed with people, many coming out of curiosity. Revival broke out in Loughor, and within two weeks the Welsh Revival was national news! Evan Roberts and Loughor, from this point, became the main focus of the Revival, although many others were involved.

When it became known that some of the outstanding characters of the neighbourhood had been converted after withstanding gospel appeals of eminent preachers for a lifetime, and that these were declaring newfound joy and faith without shame or fear, the excitement became tense. Rumours sped far and wide.

Down in the bowels of the earth, miners not only discussed the services, but sang boisterously the grand old, almost forgotten hymns, learned in their childhood.

This was a Revival with youth on fire - young men, yes and especially young women. It was the prophecy of Joel chapter 2 being fulfilled. After the first stirrings at New Quay, young women continued to play a vital role in the Revival - Florrie Evans went on a team to North Wales with her friend Maud - others used their voices as instruments of God's message, and amongst the most well known was Annie Davies of Maesteg who travelled with Evan Roberts and his team.

Revival teams, consisting of young people, mostly Spirit-filled young women, led by such men as Joseph Jenkins the minister at New Quay, Forward Movement Evangelist Seth Joshua, Sydney Evans who was Evan Roberts' friend at College, and Evan Roberts himself, travelled throughout Wales with their Spirit-led teams, conducting evangelistic revival meetings.

Meetings went on for many hours - often for more than 10 without a break. People lost all sense of time and churches were so full that crowds gathered outside until they could somehow squeeze their way in.

The meetings broke with the conventional and bypassed the traditional - often the ministers just sat down, unable to preach or even to understand the phenomena that took over their usually sedate churches and chapels - and the mighty move of God that impacted them was a manifestation of love and power which completely transformed thousands of lives. The Revival rapidly spread all over Wales, as churches "caught the fire" and the Spirit moved throughout the land, in great power. News of dramatic conversions, confession of sin, and songs of joy spread rapidly.

Wherever Evan Roberts went the Holy Spirit brought deep conviction of sin and a new spiritual dimension into the lives of formerly cold churchgoers. Evan was not an expository preacher and his method was prayer and exhortation, leading to a moving of the Holy Spirit bringing deep conviction.

In one of the valley communities, young men and women walked in procession through the streets, singing hymns and visiting public houses to invite those inside to come to the revival. Many of the places were completely deserted and others had their trade depleted.

In one such drinking place there was one solitary customer sitting gloomily alone. Suddenly the evening air was rent with the jubilant voices of happy songsters, just outside the door. So infuriated were the man and woman in charge at the audacity of these zealous youths that they picked up some of the empty ale-pots and flung them recklessly at the happy youngsters. Disgusted with the conduct of his host and hostess, the solitary patron rose from his seat, joined the enthusiastic processionists, then went with them to the church, where he surrendered to Christ!

There was a new excitement about eternal things. Family devotions and public prayer meetings were started and continued regularly for years. The sales of Bibles increased to such a degree that the shops sold their entire stocks. Everywhere there was a new spirit of prayer and an urgency to preach the Gospel.

The effects of the Revival were not confined to Wales. Reports were distributed internationally in newspaper and magazine reports and the Holy Spirit repeated what He had done in Wales from America to Australia. Evan Roberts prayed for 100,000 converts, and it is estimated that there were, in fact, well over 150,000.

The Effects of the Revival

As revival fire spread across Wales in late 1904 and early 1905, although no official records were kept of the actual number converted, 150,000 is considered a very conservative estimate, during the first six months! People's lives were transformed by the thousands. This was indeed, a sovereign move of God's Holy Spirit!

Whole communities were turned upside down, and were radically changed from depravity to glorious goodness. The crime rate dropped, often to nothing. The police force reported that they had little more to do than supervise the coming and going of the people to the chapel prayer meetings, while magistrates turned up at courts to discover no cases to try. The alcohol trade was decimated, as people were caught up more by what happened in the local chapels than the local public houses and bars. Families experienced amazing renewal, where the money earning husband and father, the bread winner, had wasted away the income and sowed discord, but now under the moving power of the Holy Spirit, following the conversion to be a follower of Jesus Christ, he not only provided correctly for family needs, but was now with the family, rather than wasting his time, and wages, in the public houses of the village or town. Souls were saved, individual lives were changed and Society itself was changed. Countless numbers were converted to Christ.

There are men and women still in churches today whose parents or grandparents' testimonies were that they were converted in the Revival in 1904 or 1905. Not only were individual lives changed by the power of the Holy Spirit, but whole communities were changed, indeed society itself was changed. Wales again was a God-fearing

nation! Public houses were now almost empty. Men and women who used to waste their money getting drunk were saving it, giving it to help their churches, buying clothes and food for their families. And not only drunkenness, but stealing and other offences grew less and less, so that often a magistrate came to court, and found there were no cases for him.

Men whose language had been filthy before, learnt to talk purely. It is related that not only did the colliers put in a better day's work, but also that the pit ponies were so used to being cursed and sworn at, that they just couldn't understand orders being given in kind, clean words! Yet, still the work output increased. The dark tunnels underground in the mines echoed with the sounds of prayer and hymns, instead of oaths and nasty jokes and gossip.

People who had been careless about paying their bills, or paying back money they had borrowed, paid up all they owed. People who had fallen out became friends again.

During the latter part of 1905, Evan Roberts was suffering increasingly from nervous exhaustion. His ministry was viciously, publicly attacked by a Congregational minister from Dowlais, who called into question the Revival. This actually affected Roberts greatly and, exhausted as he was, he went into deep depression. He went away to recover, and sadly, his absence eventually led to the quenching of the fires of revival.

"War on the Saints" - Enter Jezebel

Ironically, it was the young Evan Roberts' earnestness to be honourable in his ministry and leadership of the Revival, coupled with the fact that he was very impressionable to the opinions of people whom he, sometimes misguidedly, considered more spiritually mature than himself, that, especially in his state of physical, exhaustion, made him not only vulnerable to depression, but sadly, in his confused state of mind, brought about his ultimate withdrawal from his role in the Revival.

When Evan Roberts met Mrs. Jessie Penn-Lewis at a Keswick-in-Wales Convention, in his vulnerable state of mind, he was easily impressed with her speaking and writing ability, as well as the apparent sympathy shown towards him, both by her husband and herself.

Although there is much to be commended in her earlier writings, sadly, many did not realise the extent to which Mrs. Penn-Lewis had become obsessed to the point of paranoia, with manifestations of a supernatural nature, condemning as demonic virtually all manifestations in the Welsh and Pentecostal Revivals. Entering into confrontation with the leaders of both the Keswick Convention, and the burgeoning Pentecostal Movement based in Sunderland, she caused a great deal of conflict.

As the Welsh Revival was characterised by many manifestations of a Pentecostal nature, with many instances of gifts of the Spirit exercised by many people, including Evan Roberts himself, Mrs. Penn-Lewis condemned much that took place during the Welsh Revival as spurious.

So it was, that Evan Roberts, the "Elijah" of the Welsh Revival came under the influence of the woman many referred to as "Jezebel". Jessie Penn-Lewis gained Evan's confidence, and she and her husband invited him to stay in their home in Leicester, ostensibly to recover from his exhaustion and depression. In fact, as a result, Evan went through a state of spiritual trauma that, sadly, undermined his usefulness to the Revival.

Sequel to the Evan Roberts Story

There is, however, a little-known sequel to the Evan Robert's story. As he began to recover, it evidently began to dawn on him that he was being deceived. Twelve months after its publication, Evan Roberts disassociated himself from the book, "War on the Saints", which was written by Jessie Penn-Lewis.

Evan Roberts did some traveling, writing and preaching, and eventually, in the 1920's, he returned to Wales, making his final home in Cardiff.

Revival and Healing Meetings

conducted by Evan Roberts in the Loughor area

One of the former members of Evan Roberts' Revival Team arranged meetings for him in the Loughor area. They were held in the Old Post Office, Gorseinon. Many attended to hear the revivalist, and they were apparently tremendous meetings, reminiscent in many ways, of the Revival itself.

Not only were souls converted, but having shaken off the "Penn-Lewis paranoia", Evan Roberts was now preaching the Full Gospel with signs following, including healing for the sick and casting out demons with effective results. This is consistent with the real legacy of the Welsh Revival.

Evan Roberts had returned to Wales in 1926 to look after his sick father. Reports say that when he was asked to pray at his father's funeral in 1928, witnesses said the anointing of God, as an electric-like force, was so great when he prayed, that they thought Revival would break out again. This apparently characterised each of his rare public appearances in later years. He lived in Cardiff after his father died until he passed away in 1951. He was buried in Morah Chapel, Loughor.

3. THE PENTECOSTAL LEGACY OF THE WELSH REVIVAL

The Welsh Revival

was a Pentecostal Outpouring

The Welsh Revival of 1904 is generally considered as something quite distinct from other spiritual movements that developed before

or after it. In fact, there is much evidence that the Revival was part of the Pentecostal Outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early 20th century.

The emphasis of the Welsh Revival of 1904 was without doubt the baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit. The early beginnings of the Revival were influenced by Reader Harris, founder of the Pentecostal League of Prayer, who preached a sermon in Carmarthen in January 1904 stating that the Church was to see another Pentecost.

When on February 14th, in New Quay, Cardiganshire, young Florrie Evans stood to her feet and publicly confessed "I love the Lord Jesus with all my heart" a mighty move of the Spirit of God broke out in that Church. Hungry for the Spirit, many young people gathered in after-church meetings, and God began baptising initially, mainly young girls and women in their teens and early twenties, with the Holy Spirit. They began singing and praying spontaneously, there was shouting and rejoicing, even dancing in the meetings, and many of the girls were prophesying.

This was unquestionably a Pentecostal visitation. Evan Roberts exercised spiritual gifts, including the word of knowledge, when things about someone in the congregation would be revealed, often leading to conversion.

The parallels between the Welsh Revival of 1904 and the Pentecostal Revival already taking place in parts of England and the USA were unmistakable :-

(2) The exercise of Spiritual Gifts, including prophecy and word of knowledge.

(3) Claims of receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, with manifestations such as "wind", "fire" and falling under the Holy Spirit's power.

(4) Many recorded instances of Speaking with Tongues, which

became a major controversy with those who opposed such manifestations.

(5) It is a fact that from 1905 when the Revival waned, it was the Pentecostals, who continued in the Spirit of the Revival, and a good percentage of the converts of the Revival joined the newly-formed Apostolic and Pentecostal Churches, many of which were pioneered in Wales, by converts of the Revival.

It is important therefore, to see the Welsh revival not as a phenomenon which happened and died out, but as a major part of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the early 20th century, which brought into being the Apostolic and Pentecostal movements that by the mid 20th century had impacted Christians of every denomination.

It is also significant that the theme Scripture of the Revival, inscribed on the Evan Roberts Memorial monument at Moriah, is Acts 2:38 -

"Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit".

The Pentecostal Connection

The Pentecostal nature of the Revival of 1904 is undeniable. Evan Roberts himself often exercised the gift of a word of knowledge during the meetings. His emphasis was constantly on the baptism in the Spirit. The form of the services remind us strongly of the pattern of those described in the New Testament letters. It is small wonder then that a large percentage of the 150,000 saved in Wales became dissatisfied with the traditional churches and joined the newly formed Apostolic and Pentecostal Fellowships.

The Azusa Street Revival Connection

At the height of the Revival in 1905, as news spread around the world, Frank Bartleman, a Christian from Los Angeles - influenced by first-hand reports of the Revival in Wales - wrote to Evan Roberts, asking for his prayers that a similar revival would come to his city.

Bartleman received three letters in reply over a number of months, each indicating that prayer was being offered on his behalf in Wales. The letters contain advice on preparing for coming revival, while the final of the three letters, received in early 1906, contain a claim by Evan Roberts that he was convinced that God was going to send a revival upon the whole world, and that it was just about to happen. Within days of receiving that letter, Bartleman and others were in the thick of a revival that broke out at Azusa Street, Los Angeles, from which the Pentecostal Movement spread, on a global scale.

Rees Howells - Intercessor

We should, of course, mention the profound effect of the 1904 Revival on Rees Howells, Intercessor and Founder of the Bible College of Wales. A convert of the Revival, Howells was mightily used, especially in intercession, during World War II when there were strategic answers to prayer, which it is believed dramatically influenced the course of the War itself. Whilst Howells was not a classical Pentecostal, he certainly preached the necessity of being Baptised with the Holy Spirit.

Pentecostal Pioneers

The Apostolic and Pentecostal movement in Britain, especially throughout South and West Wales, has been described as having inherited the legacy of the Revival, its phenomenal growth having been influenced both by the Welsh Revival itself, and the Pentecostal and Apostolic Movement already impacting the British Isles.

The Apostolic Faith Church

One minister dramatically influenced by the Welsh Revival was Pastor W.O. Hutchinson of Bournemouth, England. After being Baptised with the Holy Spirit, he founded the Apostolic Faith Church, which was the first Pentecostal movement to be established in Britain. The Apostolic Faith Church gave birth to many Churches and ministries throughout Great Britain and overseas.

The Apostolic Church

Under the ministry of the Apostolic Faith Church, converts of the Welsh Revival, Daniel Williams (affectionately known as "Pastor Dan") and his brother Jones were ordained as an apostle, and prophet respectively.

Called as an Apostle to Wales, "Pastor Dan", with the support of his brother Jones, pioneered the work under the name of the Apostolic Church. From the village of Penygroes in South Wales, it rapidly spread throughout Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland and overseas.

Elim & Bible Pattern Churches

Also notable amongst the converts of the Revival are George and Stephen Jeffreys, founders of Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance. Their international Evangelistic and Healing Campaigns resulted in multiplied thousands who were saved and healed through the Lord Jesus Christ. George Jeffreys also founded the Bible Pattern Church Fellowship, and held an annual Convention in London's Royal Albert Hall.

The Israel Connection

The Bible says in Joel 2 vs. 28-29 :-

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit".

This prophecy had an undoubted fulfilment during the Welsh Revival of 1904 as perhaps experienced nowhere else in quite this manner and scale, underlining the belief of many, that Wales is an Israel nation, part of the "lost" tribes of the House of Israel. Indeed, there are many who believe that the high proportion of ministers, both political and

spiritual, produced in Wales, together with its identification as the "Land of Revival and Song" are a sure indication that a significant portion of the priestly tribe of Levi, including the descendants of Asaph - the appointed singers of Israel - are to be found in Wales!

Although there is no direct evidence that Evan Roberts specifically taught the message of Israel identity, it is evident that the prayers, and many of the messages preached both prior to, and during the Revival, were based on the promises God had made to His people Israel.

Reader Harris

In fact, one of the main inspirations of the Revival, was a sermon preached by the noted Judge, Reader Harris Q.C., founder of the Pentecostal League of Prayer, in Carmarthen in January 1904. An ardent believer in Britain's Israel identity, Harris based his belief that Wales and Britain were to experience a Pentecostal Outpouring, on God's promises to Israel.

W. O. Hutchinson

The Apostolic Faith Church, led by Pastor W.O. Hutchinson of Bournemouth, also influenced by the Welsh Revival, was the first Pentecostal movement to be established in Britain, and believed in, and preached, Britain's identity with the "lost" tribes of Israel.

Daniel and Jones Williams

Daniel and Jones Williams of South Wales, converts of the Revival, were ordained by Pastor W.O. Hutchinson, under auspices of the Apostolic Faith Church.

The work in Wales, renamed the "Apostolic Church", flourished in the ongoing Spirit of the Revival, throughout the British Isles and overseas. "Pastor Dan" Williams, with the support of his brother Jones, pioneered the work, from their home village of Penygroes, in South Wales.

The movement rapidly spread throughout Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland and overseas. Although the Apostolic Church no longer preaches the "Israel" identity, there is evidence that its founders, and many of its earlier leaders, believed in Britain's Israel identity.

George and Stephen Jeffreys

Undoubtedly George and Stephen Jeffreys were the most noted of the ministers to be produced by the Welsh Revival. Their international Evangelistic and Healing Campaigns resulted in multiplied thousands who were saved and healed through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ardent believers in the "Israel" identity of the British and related peoples, when the Elim movement founded by him suppressed the message, George Jeffreys launched the Bible Pattern Church, which propagated this "Israel" truth. George Jeffreys also held a Convention, annually, with a packed house, in the Royal Albert Hall in London.

God Can Do It Again!

Truly, what God did in Wales in 1904 and 1905 has left us with an amazing legacy of revival and ministry. It was, perhaps, the greatest impact of the early 20th century Pentecostal Outpouring.

Yet, the Welsh Revival should not just be a valuable part of our heritage, but rather we should pray for, and experience for ourselves - AN EVEN GREATER OUTPOURING OF HIS HOLY SPIRIT!

"Repent and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2: 38 - the theme verse of the Welsh Revival).

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

He prayed for over eleven years for a spiritual revival to come to Wales.